1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to information networks, and more particularly to a method for automatically setting address information and network environment information necessary for a device to operate under predetermined network environment such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) when such a device is newly joined or moved from a position to another position. Further, the present invention is concerned with a system using the above method.
Recently, personal computers of the laptop type or notebook type, UNIX computers and network devices such as relays have been down-sized and reduced in weight. As the number of such portable devices increases, it is increasingly required to connect portable devices to a network at a destination and easily utilize the devices. Hereinafter, the term "network at a destination" means a network which has a network number or a sub-network number different from that of a network to which the devices were originally connected. Hereinafter, such a network is also referred to as a sub-net.
In order to enable the portable device at the destination, it is necessary to reset address information and network environment information concerning the sub-net at the destination to the above portable device. When a large number of portable devices are newly joined in a network, it is necessary to set the following information to each of the portable devices. The information to be set in each of the portable device includes an IP address and a host name (device name), which is some information contained in the address information. The portable devices have different values of the IP address and different values of the host name. Further, the above information includes other information items contained in the address information, the other information items including an IP address of a default gateway, sub-net mask information and so on. The values of the other information items contained in the address information depend on the network management method, and may be the same as each other with respect to all the portable devices. Furthermore, the above information to be set in each of the newly joined portable device includes network environment information including the domain name of a naming device (name server), a community name of an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) and so on. The values of the network environment information depend on the network management method and may be the same as each other with respect to all the portable devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, in order to move a portable device from a sub-net to another sub-net and enable the user to the portable device connected to the sub-net at the destination, it is required that the user asks a network management person about the address information and the network environment information and sets the received information to the portable device for himself or herself. Further, in order for the portable device at the destination to take place a communication with another device (for example, a business device which stores general databases and files), it is necessary to change the correspondence between the IP address and host name of the portable device moved to the destination, the above correspondence being stored in the above business device. If the correspondence between the IP address and the host name are shared in the network, it is necessary to change the correspondence between the IP address and host name of the portable device moved to the destination, the above correspondence being managed by a name server.
When a large number of devices are newly introduced into the network, it is necessary for a system engineer to set the address information and the network environment information to these devices.
It can be seen from the above that conventionally, it is necessary for the use or the system engineer to correctly set many items of address information and network environment information.
Hence, the conventional method has a disadvantage in that it takes a long time to complete the setting operation by the user or the system engineer in order to enable the portable devices on the PCP/IP network and a disadvantage in that a malfunction may occur due to errors in the manual setting. If the address information is mistakenly set, the network may be confused. The devices on the TCP/IP network cannot operate only by acquiring the IP address if any manual setting is not performed. Regarding the host name, it is necessary to made the host name specifically assigned to the network correspond to the IP address and set the other address information items and the environment information to the devices.